AMD today introduced its AM1 platform featuring the AMD quad-core and dual-core "Kabini" APU into the component channel for system builders. Combined with motherboards from manufacturers, the new AM1 platform will deliver Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture and AMD "Jaguar" CPU cores, and bear the AMD Athlon and AMD Sempron APU brands.

AMD's Sempron chips will go into low-priced desktops priced at up to $399. Barebones desktops could be built starting at $60 with just a Sempron chip and motherboard.

This will create an ecosystem of upgradable budget platforms that also feature USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s support, and microATX and miniITX motherboards for small form factor PCs.



The Kabini processors will feature up to four Jaguar based CPU cores, a single memory controller supporting up to 1600 MHz memory and 128 streaming processors from the Graphics Core Next architecture. There is no chipset on the motherboard and all the IO will be present on the CPU itself. The Kabini APUs will source two SATA 6 Gbps ports, two USB 3.0 ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, four PCIe 2.0 lanes and video outputs (DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA).

The AM1 systems will support memory overclocking above the verified DDR3-1600 MHz speed but they do not have any Turbo Core technology however, nor will they support CPU overclocking.

Sempron will compete with Intel's latest Atom, Pentium and Celeron chips code-named Bay Trail, which have started appearing in low-cost desktops and laptops.

Motherboard manufacturers including, ASRock, ASUS, BIOSTAR, ECS, Gigabyte and MSI are poised to deliver a range of desktop motherboards based on socket FS1b. These motherboards will support the latest specifications of native USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s for AMD Athlon and Sempron-series APUs for the AM1 platform.

Availability of "Kabini" desktops and components are slated to be on-shelf beginning early April, with global availability expected on April 9.